Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-09-02
Investigating the White Earth
Indians.

WHITE EARTH, MIMI, Aug. 3l.--E. S, Senators
Dawes, Morgan and Davis, and Hon. + NJ, Chris
tie, clerk Of committee on Indian affairs in the
senate, arrived here Monday. bent OH inyestisat-
ing the affairs all the reservation in general and
the sI.eehan Beaulieu disturbance In particular.
The examination Of witnesses took place In the
school house on the hill. und Indians were pres
cnt from all parts Of the reservation, and took u
deep interest in the proceedings. ~ :
81. re. z5 A PRIESTS TESTIMONY. -.
Father Aloysius, Catholic priest ofthe rscrvn-
tiGn, wat examined He had been on the reser.
alton during the administration Of three agents
Ruffee, Luce and Shechan. He said.
It was a mistaken idea that the Indians on the
White Earth reservation were making any pro-
s!csstward civilization. The contrary was true.
There was no progress with the full blOods. The
were cultivatins more acres every
year. hut the Improvement in that respect lay
entirely with them. The full bloods were sink
Ing deeper and deeper in the nire Of poverty and
aelect dependence. The reason for this state Of
promises with the Indians For instance, the
indians were furnished with seed wheat by the
government. On account OF red tape and other
being on hand a seeding time would generally
be a week or even month behind. They had
no tools TO cultivate or reap with: They eonltl
not do anything unless they had the means and
cr,,mcnt reapers on the reservation, and the PEG.
pie at Washington expected the wheat sown by
full bloods to be cut with them, This was clear
" impossible The half-brecds who farmed gen.
orally had machines ofthcir own and got along
better. The government made great pretenEe OF
helping the Indians, but the help given was no.
t0riOuSIy inadequate and insufficient.
Is ALLEGED IMMORTALITY. ~ T..
In the matter of alleged improper and lnscivi-
Gus conduct on the part of Jerry Sheehan and
Harry Hart tho former son Of Agent Sheehnu,
who were acting Us teachers in the public school,
Isabella Martin, pupil IN the school, testified
the part OF these young men toward the +. male
pupils. A denial Of these stories had been cx-
tracted from her. but she now persisted that they
we're true. Paul II. Deanlieu, United States In
tcrpreter, says there are now on the reservation,
01 Chippewa Indians, Gil Otter TUT! Indians
and 263 Pembinas, n total Of 1885 Indians, men
women and children. Ofthese S5S were mixed
bloods. He took the census each year, and knew
there was an Increase Of births over deaths. both
among the mixed and full blOOis. +: 80
There is a great mass oftestimony ready TO BE-
presented from both sides. The feeling is very
bitter and vindictivc. and the opinion is freely
expressed that unless some thing decisive is done
at once serious trouble will follow. Agent shcc
han seems to be well liked, and there Is no ques
ton that under his administration the rcserva.
ton has done as well rs undcs any other agent
He has been unfortunate in making antago lists
in the performance of his duty. The whole trou
bic Is ascribed. BY many:to the JEALOUSY. and Iii
tcrlerence of the agents Of the different religious
denominations: y $ j.. -